Going from 2D to 3D

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Hi all.
Long time lurker, first time poster :)
So, a couple of friends and I are considering an approach to design and create a small game. However, before we begin, we have a couple of concerns. One of those is the transition from 2D to 3D with regards to gameplay. The game we want to create is a 3D version of a simple 2D game.
This has of course been done many times before, like Worms to Worms 3D, 2D Tetris to 3D Tetris, Mario on the N64, etc.
Does anyone know of any literature, papers, links, that describes this, and what to be aware of when designing games that already works in 2D, in 3D?
We're interested in how it changes the gameplay, the immersion, the intuitiveness. And what types of games fails this transition, and the games that become successes.
Thanks,
Jacob

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I'm not so sure that the potential problems of moving to 3D can be generalized - it will probably depend entirely on the type of game in question. What do you know about the game you want to bring into the third dimension?

I suppose a couple of common things may be:

- Occlusion is introduced, which affects the gameplay of most games moving to 3D in some way (not being able to see where you are aiming in Worms, not being able to see the state of the entire game at a glance in Tetris)

- Perspective is introduced, and in a platformer for example the player can potentially see an entire level stretch out in front of them (assuming the level design isn't changed)

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Moving game logic to 3D isn't a "transition", it is the creation of a whole new game.

With some game genres, even the switch to 3D graphics while retaining fully 2D game logic and a side or top down perspective will easily wreck a game (for one, because it makes it harder to tell distances exactly). For every Gradius V there are piles of total failures like the 1942 remake.

It would be fun to see the differences between games in 2D and 3D, and see what changes in the game. Is it really a new game, or are only certain elements changes in the game experience?And I am aware that it depends on the game in question, but I hoped someone have done some research on the area.. that I haven't been able to find.